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07Expenditure Reports Concerning Official Foreign Travel
08Memorials
Daily Digest
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced
32 public bills, H.R. 9083- 9114; and 3 resolutions, H.J. Res. 190; and H. Res. 1331-1332 were introduced.
Pages H3773-74
Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H.R. 7086, to support the creation and implementation of State policies, as well as the expansion of existing State policies, for improving the quality and affordability of charter school facilities and to authorize the provision of technical assistance to support the growth and expansion of high-quality charter schools, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-672); H.R. 3922, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-673, Part 1); H.R. 5694, to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to protect the cultural practices and livelihoods of producers of Alaska Native handicrafts and marine mammal ivory products, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-674); and H.R. 7250, to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000 (H. Rept. 119-675).
Page H3773
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Jackson (TX) to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H3743
Recess
The House recessed at 12:13 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Page H3744
Recess
The House recessed at 2:06 p.m. and reconvened at 2:30 p.m.
Page H3745
Order of Business: Consideration of H. Con. Res. 86
Agreed by unanimous consent that, notwithstanding clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on the vote by the yeas and nays on the question of adoption of H. Con. Res. 86, may be postponed until the legislative day of June 3, 2026.
Page H3745
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: Taking certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians: H.R. 5682, amended, to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians;
Pages H3745-46
Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act
H.R. 41, amended, to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act;
Pages H3746-49
Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act
H.R. 2768, amended, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail;
Pages H3749-51
Florida Safe Seas Act
H.R. 3831, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prohibit feeding sharks in the exclusive economic zone off the State of Florida;
Page H3751
Amending the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993
H.R. 4463, to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993;
Pages H3751-52
Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act
H.R. 5911, amended, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the City of Ouray, Colorado, certain land managed by the Forest Service, together with a reservoir;
Pages H3752-54
Albuquerque Indian School Act
H.R. 6162, amended, to transfer certain Federal land into trust for certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New Mexico;
Pages H3754-55
License to Drill Act
H.R. 7831, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill;
Pages H3757-58
Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act
H.R. 1687, amended, to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of lease sales, to require replacement sales;
Pages H3758-60
Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act
H.R. 5631, amended, to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the Bureau of Land Management;
Pages H3760-65
Agreed to amend the title so as to read
``To promote responsible geothermal energy development on public lands, and for other purposes'';
Page H3765
Reauthorizing the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000
H.R. 7250, to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000; and
Pages H3766-67
Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act
H.R. 3922, amended, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land.
Pages H3767-69
Suspensions: Proceedings Postponed
The House debated the following measures under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were postponed. American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act: H.R. 7618, amended, to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost- sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program;
Pages H3755-57
Alaska's Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act
S. 254, to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to protect the cultural practices and livelihoods of producers of Alaska Native handicrafts and marine mammal ivory products; and
H.R. 2860, amended, to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to promote the protection of the resources of the Northwest Straits.
Pages H3769-71
Quorum Calls: Votes
There were no Yea and Nay votes, and there were no Recorded votes. There were no quorum calls. Adjournment: The House met at 12 p.m. and adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 138 of 199 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 6, 2026, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning-hour debate.
The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 82nd anniversary of D-day and the Battle of Normandy.
On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops, nearly half of them Americans, stormed the beaches of Normandy in one of the most consequential military operations that has ever been undertaken.
Their actions not only changed the course of World War II but also left an enduring legacy of courage that continues to this day to inspire.
Recently, I had the honor of visiting the Normandy American Cemetery, where I visited the grave of Harry Snyder of Pennsylvania. Harry gave his life for our Nation. During my visit, I had the privilege of reading a letter written posthumously by Anne Snyder, Harry's daughter.
In the letter she wrote: ``Dad, although your legacy is occasionally dimmed, it always emerges triumphant in the hearts and minds of the young and not so young. Rest well until the day that we meet again.''
Standing among the graves of those who gave their lives for freedom serves as a powerful reminder of the immense cost of liberty and our enduring obligation to preserve that liberty.
Mr. Speaker, may we never forget their heroic actions. May we never forget their service. May we never forget the profound debt of gratitude that we owe each and every one of them.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Richland School District on its selection as a Great Pennsylvania School.
Presented by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, the designation recognizes school districts across Pennsylvania for academic excellence.
As Superintendent Arnold Nadonley stated, this recognition speaks volumes about the entire school district.
Mr. Speaker, I join with constituents throughout Cambria County in congratulating the Richland School District, Superintendent Nadonley, and the school board of directors on this incredible designation as one of the great Pennsylvania schools.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Jaffa Shriners of Blair County on the Jaffa Shrine being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Jaffa Shrine has been a venerable resource for the greater Altoona community since it opened in 1930.
A cultural landmark on Broad Avenue, the Jaffa Shrine has brought people of all backgrounds together for multiple special events. The selection of the Jaffa Shrine for the National Register of Historic Places is a testament to the National Park Service's vital mission to identify America's historic landmarks.
With a distinguished legacy of community enrichment and historic importance, the Jaffa Shrine has merited this profound recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate all Jaffa Shriners for this designation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the dedicated public service of Joe Diamond of Bellwood, Pennsylvania.
Joe has provided outstanding leadership as the Region 4 director at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau for 32 years. Region 4's service area spans across a large portion of Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District.
Joe, described as an expert in agriculture and farming, is the second-longest tenured staff member in the entire Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
Raised on his family's dairy farm, Joe is fulfilling a lifelong passion with his career in agriculture.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the constituents in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, I personally thank Joe Diamond for his distinguished legacy of advocacy on behalf of farmers and his significant impact on agriculture throughout the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Speaker, this past Memorial Day, my office joined the Loudoun community in honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Sterling American Legion Post 150 Memorial.
It was 50 years ago that Post 150, led by committee Chairman Jack Kapp, established the park on Memorial Day 1976. They recognized that our community needed a place to remember those who served and those who never returned home.
As part of this important anniversary, my office was proud to provide four American flags that will now fly over the memorial next year.
For 50 years, the Sterling American Legion Post 150 Memorial has stood as a reminder that freedom is never free and that the sacrifices of our fallen must never be forgotten. The members of Post 150 continue that mission every single day through their support for veterans and military families.
Places like this memorial preserve the service and sacrifice of our fallen heroes for future generations. They must also serve as a reminder that actions are just as important as words and symbols. That means supporting our veterans and military families here in Congress.
Mr. Speaker, may we always remember and recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, over the past year and a half, 10,000 USAID employees were forced out of their jobs. Many of them were my constituents, and many with decades of diplomatic experience were pushed into retirement as the agency was illegally dismantled.
That was bad enough for them and for our country's security and safety, but now former USAID constituents are reaching out, saying that they aren't getting their full and accurate retirement annuities.
In many cases, USAID retirees have received no benefits at all since July of 2025, benefits that they earned and are legally entitled to. This also includes discontinued health insurance, as well, making life hard for them and their families.
As a result, according to the recent surveys of these USAID employees, 85 percent of them have experienced negative financial impacts, and 76 percent report negative impacts on their mental health.
When people try to contact USAID's H.R. office for help, staff there have reportedly been directed to ignore emails and calls and funnel all outreach into a single ticket system. It is almost deliberately inefficient. When our constituents try to call to speak to a live staff member, they aren't able to.
Questions are going unanswered, and people are left in the dark, waiting without pay while facing mortgages, college tuition payments, and rising costs of groceries and gas.
Not paying retirees their earned benefits is a slap in the face to the people who dedicated their careers to public service and making America strong and secure through their work abroad.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the administration to stop breaking the law and stealing from USAID employees. They must immediately fix this. That means issuing all owed retirement benefits to every eligible USAID employee.
Mr. Speaker, on May 22, USCIS released a policy memo that it would grant adjustment of status from within the United States only in extraordinary circumstances.
This broad policy abandons over 70 years of law and precedent. It is pulling the rug out from under families who have worked to be together and from businesses that thought their workers would continue to be able to work.
It is effectively forcing hardworking students, family members, and entrepreneurs on a pathway to a green card to leave the country for many years while they wait for their status to change. Almost immediately, my office was flooded with inquiries about what this will mean for families.
Over a week later, USCIS has tried to clarify their original memo. One spokesman said that people who provide an economic benefit will likely be able to continue on their current path. With no specific details, families are left with more questions than answers.
Yesterday, I sent a letter to USCIS seeking clarification on how they plan to implement this policy but also urging the agency to immediately reverse it.
Our immigrant communities that are doing everything right should not be punished. Our businesses, already struggling under the economic chaos of this administration, should not suddenly be told that many of their employees won't be able to continue working. These policies are undermining our greatest strength by driving away talent, innovation, and leaders in communities across the country and across the world.
Mr. Speaker, these policies signal that the United States cannot be trusted to keep the promises it makes to immigrant communities and, really, to anyone. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this USCIS policy.
Mr. Speaker, they say the only thing harder than winning a championship is defending it. Don't tell that to the Jax Gents stomp team from Jacksonville, Florida, because, right now, they are celebrating back-to-back national championships.
The Jax Gents are one of northeast Florida's premier youth leadership programs committed to developing young men through discipline, service, and excellence.
This year, they once again stepped onto the national stage, earning their second Stomp Wars USA National Championship.
This is more than just a trophy, Mr. Speaker. Through the art of step, these young men are developing teamwork and character as they grow into confident young leaders. Whether on stage, in the classroom, or at home, they proudly embody the Jax Gents core values of humility, scholarship, and leadership.
A very special recognition to Head Coach Shomari Gloster, whose talent, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to these young men have not only shaped the championship team, but the young men that they are becoming.
Mr. Speaker, the Jax Gents' steps made history, and their future is already marching toward greatness. I congratulate the Jax Gents. Northeast Florida is very proud of them.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 82nd anniversary of D-Day.
On June 6, 1944, American soldiers raced into the mouth of the Nazi war machine, storming the beaches of Normandy.
For the town of Bedford, Virginia, D-Day is always particularly poignant. Twenty boys from Bedford lost their lives on D-Day. Bedford suffered the highest D-Day death toll per capita of any American community.
We honor and remember our D-Day heroes with the National D-Day Memorial located in Bedford.
This year, the memorial celebrates its 25th anniversary. However, this will be the first D-Day since the passing of memorial advocate Lucille Hoback Boggess.
Ms. Hoback Boggess had two brothers killed on D-Day, and she helped lead efforts to create the memorial with founder Bob Slaughter.
We continue to follow in her footsteps, preserving the legacy of her brothers and the many heroes who served in Normandy and through their heroism cracked the wall of Hitler's fortress Europe.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying before, what do you do when people in your administration constantly break the law? Do you clean house of all corruption and self-dealing or increase transparency and accountability?
Well, this administration decided to go the opposite direction and just announced a plan last week to require all Federal workers to sign NDAs.
The new message: If you see something, don't say something, even if that something is against the law.
These NDAs aren't just meant to cover sensitive, internal deliberations or classified information.
They apply to nearly everything going on inside the administration, even the illegal stuff.
This is about silencing whistleblowers.
This is about punishing people who speak out about waste, fraud, and abuse.
This is about putting loyalty to the President above service to our country and the Federal workforce.
If you want to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in government, if you actually want to put our country first, then join me in fighting these Federal worker loyalty NDAs.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on the vote by the yeas and nays on the question of adoption of H. Con. Res. 86 may be postponed until the legislative day of June 3, 2026.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5682) to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5682, the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise to support H.R. 5682, introduced by Congressman Issa, which would place approximately 860 acres of Bureau of Land Management land into trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians.
Located in Temecula, California, the Pechanga Band has a deep desire to protect its ancestral and cultural land. This includes the Pu'eska Mountain, which is central to the Pechanga's creation stories and spiritual life. The Pechanga Band was able to purchase Pu'eska Mountain in 2012 and placed it into trust in 2015.
The 860 acres of BLM-managed land conveyed in this legislation are interspersed within the Pechanga Band's existing holdings, including the Pu'eska Mountain. This unwieldy checkerboard pattern of land ownership has complicated the Pechanga Band's access to and stewardship of its sacred land.
With this transfer, however, the Tribe will consolidate its ownership and will reasonably maintain the land. The legislation requires that the land remain as open space and be used only for cultural and conservation purposes. The bill also includes an explicit prohibition on gaming, pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
I want to thank my friend Mr. Issa for working diligently with the Pechanga Band to develop H.R. 5682, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5682, which will return ancestral homelands in southern California to the Pechanga Band of Indians. The lands that would be returned under this bill are located within the Pu'eska Mountain, a sacred site with cultural, historic, and religious significance to the Tribe.
In the mid-2000s, the Tribe fought tirelessly to protect these lands from destructive mining that would have destroyed the mountain. They ultimately purchased and took into trust much of these lands.
In addition to the Tribe, the Bureau of Land Management holds several parcels on the mountain, including approximately 1,261 acres adjacent to the Tribe's trust land.
H.R. 5682 will take these lands into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, consolidating most of the mountain into Tribal trust land and allowing the Tribe to steward their ancestral lands.
I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this is not the first or the second time the Pechanga have reached out to expand these historic and ancestral lands and to preserve them. We have a long track history now of the Pechanga Indians taking into trust and improving the lands that they have purchased or that are transferred.
Previously, the Bureau of Land Management came to us and said: We have land we cannot afford to maintain. It has no value. It is a mountainside. Is there any interest in it by the Native American Tribes in the area? We were pleasantly surprised to discover that, yes, there was. And, in fact, they had for years been clandestinely trying to do what they could to preserve the land.
As many people know, California's Native Americans were landless for many years, displaced by the Spaniards, taken away, and not until Ulysses S. Grant did they begin returning to their ancestral homes.
As a result, there are massive amounts of their historic lands that either lie in private hands or public hands.
Pechanga has bought at its own expense private lands, in this case public lands which are not able to be maintained properly and which would have a cost to the Federal Government. These lands will be taken over and maintained by the Pechanga Band of Native American Indians. That means that the Federal Government saves money through this transfer.
More importantly, their stewardship has, in fact, been good for the surrounding area. As many people know, fires rage in southern California on a regular basis. Land that is not properly maintained, especially with low-lying, highly flammable shrubbery, burns quickly and spreads to surrounding areas. Under the Pechanga stewardship, that will be partially abated and, in fact, managed.
Lastly, Pechanga at its own expense has built a large fire department, one that maintains these lands as well or better than the surrounding communities. That means for Temecula, Riverside County, and other areas, again, this is a savings at the expense of the Tribe. They do this because of the importance of the land to their people.
For that reason, I ask that this be moved forward positively on behalf of the Federal Government's benefit and the benefit of our Native Americans.
Mr. Speaker, again, the Pechanga Band of Indians have worked to consolidate their ancestral and cultural land for years. The conveyance authorized by this legislation will unwind much of the checkerboard pattern that has prevented the Pechanga Band from readily accessing its lands, including its most sacred site, the Pu'eska Mountain.
I thank Mr. Issa for his work on this straightforward but important legislation. I support H.R. 5682, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5682, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 41) to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 41, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, introduced by Mr. Begich of Alaska. This bill amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to recognize the Alaska Native communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell.
ANCSA was signed into law to resolve the longstanding issues surrounding the land claims of Alaska Natives. Under ANCSA, roughly 200 village corporations and 12 regional corporations were established. However, those five communities I just mentioned were excluded from the list of southeast Alaska Native villages. As a result, they have missed out on numerous opportunities afforded to other Alaska Native communities.
Although the five communities objected to their exclusion, no right of appeal was provided for the southeast villages, so their challenges were rejected outright.
Recognizing these five communities under ANCSA has been a longstanding goal of the Alaska delegation. Accordingly, this legislation amends ANCSA to allow them to organize into Alaska Native urban corporations and select one township each within the Tongass National Forest. The lands covered by this legislation were selected in consultation with the affected Alaska Native communities, local stakeholders, the U.S. Forest Service, and the general public.
I commend Representative Begich for this work on behalf of his constituents, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to address the exclusion of five southeast Alaska Native communities.
When ANCSA was enacted in 1971 to resolve Alaska Native land claims, Congress created the Alaska Native Corporations, a structure that is vastly different than the framework established for Tribal nations in the lower 48. Most Alaska Natives were enrolled into both a village corporation and a regional corporation. However, the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell were left off the eligibility list for establishing village corporations under ANCSA.
H.R. 41 seeks to address that omission by creating Alaska Native Urban Corporations for each of the five communities and authorizing the conveyance of approximately 23,040 acres of land, consistent with the acreage provided to the other southeast Alaska Native communities under ANCSA, from the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize that, over the years, this legislation has generated debate, particularly regarding the conveyance of Federal lands within the Tongass National Forest. As the legislation advances, we remain committed to working with our colleagues in the Senate to address the historic injustices that occurred for these communities while safeguarding the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of the Tongass National Forest.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act.
This bill rights a wrong that has endured for more than 50 years.
When Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971, it made a promise to Alaska Native people: land and the right to form their own corporations to manage that land and build their futures. However, five southeast Alaska communities, Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, were left out.
Through no fault of their own, the Native people of these communities were given a name no Native community should ever have to carry: the Landless.
For half a century, the people of these five communities have come to Washington, made their case, and waited patiently and persistently for this body to keep its word. They have done everything that was ever asked of them.
My predecessors have introduced this bill ten times in this body, and in all those years, this House has yet to pass this bill.
Today, we change that.
H.R. 41 finally allows these communities to do what every other Alaska Native community was able to do decades ago: organize their corporations, receive their land, and chart their own course.
This action fulfills a promise and recognizes that Alaska Native self-determination was always meant to include these communities.
To the elders and leaders of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell who never gave up: We thank them for persevering.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 41.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 41 amends ANCSA to recognize the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell. For over 50 years, these communities have missed out on the opportunities afforded under ANCSA. This legislation will deliver the fairness these communities deserve.
I, again, thank Mr. Begich for his work on behalf of his constituents, I urge passage of H.R. 41, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 41, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2768) to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 2786.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2768, the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2026, sponsored by Representative Fleischmann.
Named after the American forester who envisioned the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail, or BMT for short, is a roughly 280- mile backcountry trail that extends across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Beginning at Springer Mountain in northern Georgia, the BMT crosses several national forests and ultimately connects with the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Approximately 95 percent of the trail is on land managed by the Forest Service or the National Park Service.
H.R. 2768 authorizes a study to evaluate the feasibility of designating the BMT as a National Scenic Trail. There are currently 11 National Scenic Trails across the country. These routes generally extend 100 miles or more, are primarily nonmotorized, and offer exceptional recreational opportunities. This legislation will evaluate the BMT to ensure that it meets the criteria for designation as a National Scenic Trail before any designation is made. Importantly, this bill will not add any land to the Federal estate, and any designation of the BMT would require a separate act of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague Representative Fleischmann for his bipartisan work on this effort. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2768, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2768 would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to study the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail.
This study is the first step toward securing a well-deserved national designation for this historic ``sister trail'' of the Appalachian Trail.
Honoring the legacy of Benton MacKaye, the visionary regional planner who first proposed the Appalachian Trail and cofounded The Wilderness Society, the Benton MacKaye Trail spans nearly 300 miles across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, running through some of the most treasured national landscapes, including 93 miles within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This is exactly the type of trail meant for this official designation under the National Trails System Act, and it is encouraging to see bipartisan enthusiasm for the potential of expanding this system.
I recognize and thank Representative Cohen, who was the former sponsor of this bill, for his leadership and dedication to this issue.
I am strongly supportive of efforts to designate new trails and expand the conservation of our public lands. As we navigate the escalating biodiversity and climate crises, protecting these natural spaces and ensuring public access and recreation is more critical than ever. It is my sincere hope that we will work more frequently together on a bipartisan basis to pass conservation efforts just like this one moving forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. The Benton MacKaye Trail runs approximately 287 miles from Springer Mountain in north Georgia through east Tennessee and western North Carolina into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ending in Big Creek in the northeast corner of the park.
The Benton MacKaye Trail provides numerous opportunities for easy, moderate, and challenging day hikes, many routes for multiday backpacking and camping, and of course, for the most serious hikers, end-to-end hikes.
More than 200 volunteers do maintenance work on the trail each year, generating approximately 8,000 hours of volunteer maintenance annually.
It offers quite an alternative to the heavily used section of the Appalachian Trail from north Georgia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Congress has not designated a new National Scenic Trail since 2009. This trail is long overdue for that recognition.
The feasibility study is the next step. It is a low-cost, low- footprint measure. The trail is already on Federal land for about 95 percent of its length and would be administered by the Forest Service. This is bipartisan legislation that passed committee with unanimous consent.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this great bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Stansbury for yielding, and I appreciate her mentioning me in her remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I was the original sponsor of this bill, and I am happy that Mr. Fleischmann, whose district is much closer to it and probably encompasses part of it, accepted the proud sponsorship that has got it to this point.
The Benton MacKaye Trail is a beautiful and long trail. It is the longest trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It overlaps the Appalachian Trail at six separate points and passes through three national forests. It would be a good idea for the Federal Government to make this a national trail, and this just sets up the study.
It is good work on Mr. Fleischmann's part to get the study considered. Hopefully, the study will come up with the right answer, which is yes to the trail and take care of it.
North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee all have parts in the trail, and a lot of residents from Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville, and Atlanta visit for camping and adventures. I am pleased to be a cosponsor and appreciate that.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I commend Representative Fleischmann and Representative Cohen for their leadership on behalf of Mr. Fleischmann's constituents. This legislation initiates an important process to evaluate a prominent trail in the South for potential designation as a National Scenic Trail.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2768, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3831) to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prohibit feeding sharks in the exclusive economic zone off the State of Florida.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3831, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3831, the Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Webster of Florida.
In recent years, shark populations have exploded in our waters. In Florida, this has posed considerable safety concerns, especially for those participating in the State's commercial and recreational fishing sectors, as well as in other recreational activities on or near the ocean.
To address this issue, Florida enacted a ban more than two decades ago on feeding sharks while diving and snorkeling in State waters. While this ban has been effective in State waters, threats still exist in Federal waters. H.R. 3831 extends the existing State ban on shark feeding to Federal waters, aligning State and Federal policies.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Webster for his leadership on this important issue for the State of Florida, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3831 amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prohibit the feeding of sharks within the exclusive economic zone surrounding Florida. Currently, the Magnuson-Stevens Act only bans shark feeding in Federal waters around Hawaii and the U.S. territories.
Feeding sharks can alter their natural behavior by creating an association between humans and food sources. This behavioral conditioning may increase the risk of human-shark interactions, placing both people and sharks in danger. These changes in behavior can also disrupt the balance of marine ecosystems overall.
The increased risk of negative human and shark interactions is bad for the economy, too. It harms ecotourism and recreation, which is a multibillion-dollar industry that fuels coastal towns.
In addition, the fishing community is increasingly concerned that shark feeding encourages depredation, which is the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish from an angler's line by a shark.
NOAA Fisheries has noted that one of the reasons shark depredations have increased is that sharks are able to identify boats as an easy source of food.
Florida State law already prohibits the feeding of sharks in State waters. This amendment would expand that ban to Florida's adjacent Federal waters, creating continuity and a cohesive approach to protecting the coast, supporting a strong coastal economy, safeguarding those who rely on these waters for work and recreation, and preserving Florida's cherished marine life.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3831, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will improve administrative efficiency and enhance the safety of the ocean-going public by aligning State and Federal regulations. Congressman Webster's legislation is just the latest of several different bills that our committee has advanced to address issues related to shark depredation, which was exacerbated when Congress enacted the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2021. I thank Mr. Webster for his work on advancing this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3831.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4463) to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 4463, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4463, introduced by Representative Norman of South Carolina, amends the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 to remove Federal restrictions on future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.
This is a straightforward Tribal sovereignty bill. In 1993, Congress passed the Catawba settlement act. That statute restored the Catawba Indian Nation's Federal recognition, resolved its land claims, and set out several rules for the Tribe in Federal law.
The law also did something unusual. It put future membership rules for the
H.R. 4463 restores sovereignty to the Tribe. It removes Federal membership restrictions and allows the Catawba Indian Nation to determine its own membership under its own constitution and governing processes.
That is how this should work. Deciding who belongs to a Tribe is one of the most basic parts of Tribal self-government. It should be handled by the Tribe through its own laws, not locked into Federal law by Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Norman for his work on this important bill. I support H.R. 4463, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4463, which would respect the principles of self-determination and self-governance by restoring the Catawba Indian Nation's right to determine their own citizenship criteria.
Congress enacted the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act in 1993 to resolve the Nation's longstanding land claims and provide for monetary settlement funds. The act included a restrictive provision that limited the Nation's enrollment to individuals who could demonstrate both lineal descent from the 1962 final roll and a maintained political relationship with the Tribe.
While the intention of this requirement was to determine eligibility for settlement distributions, which have long been completed, it has had further-reaching implications for the Tribe's ability to enroll its own members.
H.R. 4463 is a simple but meaningful fix to remove this restriction so that the Nation can determine their own citizenship criteria.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4463 is a narrow, commonsense bill. It removes a unique Federal restriction on the Catawba Indian Nation and returns future membership decisions to the Tribe's own constitution and governing processes.
Membership is a core part of Tribal self-government. This bill respects that principle.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Norman for his leadership. I urge passage of H.R. 4463, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4463.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5911) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the City of Ouray, Colorado, certain land managed by the Forest Service, together with a reservoir, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material to H.R. 5911, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5911, the Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act, which is sponsored by my colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Hurd. This is a commonsense bill that conveys the Crystal Reservoir, Full Moon Dam and Ditch, and surrounding 45 acres of land from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray, Colorado.
This legislation reflects a simple but important idea: When a local community depends on reliable access to a resource, they should be empowered to take responsibility for it. This is especially true when the Federal Government is no longer in a position to manage that resource effectively.
The city of Ouray is also known as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Colorado. It is surrounded by Federal land and deeply tied to the Crystal Reservoir. That reservoir is not just a scenic feature. It plays a critical role in wildfire response, supports local agriculture, sustains recreation, and helps to provide water for the community and the city's well-known hot springs.
Today, the reservoir is drained. The aging Full Moon Dam was found to have structural issues. Instead of being quickly repaired to restore access to the reservoir, the dam has been taken offline. This has left Ouray without a critical asset.
H.R. 5911 offers a straightforward solution to make the reservoir operational again by conveying the water infrastructure, water rights, and surrounding land to the city. In doing so, this legislation allows the city to step in, repair the Full Moon Dam, and manage the reservoir in a way that reflects local needs and priorities.
At the same time, this bill includes strong guardrails to ensure the public interest is protected. The land must remain as open space for public recreation with continued access to existing roads and trails. The city must assume full responsibility for operating and maintaining the dam and ensuring compliance with safety requirements. There are clear limitations on development and expansion, including provisions to conserve upstream wetlands.
This transfer of responsibility represents good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Instead of the Federal Government taking on potentially costly repairs to aging infrastructure, this bill allows a willing and capable partner to assume that burden, ensuring that the people who depend on the infrastructure have a direct stake in its future.
More broadly, this legislation reflects the kind of partnerships we should be encouraging across the country. Communities like Ouray are not asking for less access or less responsibility. They are asking for the ability to manage resources that are essential to their livelihoods, their safety, and their local economies. When we empower these communities, we get faster action and solutions that are tailored to realities on the ground.
H.R. 5911 employs common sense to restore a critical resource, strengthen local water security, support wildfire preparedness, and maintain public access for recreation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this fiscally responsible legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5911 would authorize the conveyance of the Crystal Reservoir in Colorado and its surrounding infrastructure from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray, Colorado.
In early 2024, the Forest Service was forced to drain this reservoir because the Full Moon Dam had become structurally compromised. For the city of Ouray, this was a crisis. The community relies heavily on this reservoir to maintain its municipal water supply, support vital wildfire preparedness, and sustain the outdoor recreational economy in the Red Mountains.
The bill before us provides a straightforward solution: transfer of the 45-acre area to the city so that Ouray can repair the dam, refill the reservoir, and secure the water rights necessary to protect its residents.
But just as importantly, this legislation demonstrates exactly the right way to execute a public land conveyance.
This transfer is transparent. It is strictly accountable, and it guarantees that the land will perpetually benefit the public. The bill explicitly mandates that the area be maintained as open space in perpetuity. It guarantees permanent free public access for recreation. It strictly prohibits commercial development, allowing only for necessary dam operations that comply with Colorado water law.
To ensure total accountability, the bill includes a strict reversionary clause that if any of these conditions are violated, the transfer is canceled.
Because this bill was crafted in the right way, it has earned broad and enthusiastic local support. It is backed by the city of Ouray, the towns of Ridgway and Silverton, Ouray and San Juan Counties, and the Ouray County Sheriff.
It has also earned the endorsement of vital community groups, including the Colorado River District, the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, the Trust For Public Land restoration, and the Ouray Trail Group.
Furthermore, this responsible, public-first approach has garnered strong bipartisan support in the Senate, proving that when we prioritize transparency and perpetual public benefit, we can build robust consensus.
H.R. 5911 is a model for how to empower local communities, while protecting public access and conservation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hurd), the lead sponsor of this bill and the chairman on the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5911, the Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act.
I will begin by thanking committee staff, whose hard work helped move this legislation across the finish line.
At its core, this bill reflects a simple principle: Where there is strong local support, a clear public purpose, and appropriate safeguards, decisions should be made by the people closest to the resource.
That principle is, in fact, at the heart of this legislation.
H.R. 5911 would convey the Crystal Reservoir, Full Moon Dam and Ditch, and the surrounding land necessary for their operations to the city of Ouray, along with the associated water rights and infrastructure.
This request came from the city of Ouray itself. It is not a top-down proposal. It is a locally driven solution to a local problem.
For generations, Crystal Reservoir has served the community in multiple ways. It provides water for municipal use and agriculture. It supports recreation. It supports the city's hot springs, and it serves as an important resource for wildfire suppression in a region where that responsibility becomes more and more important each year.
In 2024, structural concerns at Full Moon Dam forced the United States Forest Service to drain the reservoir. Almost overnight, the community lost a resource it had relied upon for generations.
Today, the question before us is straightforward: Who is best positioned to restore, maintain, and manage this resource going forward?
The city of Ouray has answered that question. The city is prepared to assume full responsibility for repair, operation, maintenance, and liability.
The city is prepared to do the work. The city is prepared to bear the responsibility, and the city is prepared to make the long-term investments necessary to restore this important asset.
At the same time, this legislation protects the public interest. It preserves public access. It protects recreational opportunities. It prohibits commercial development. It includes a reversionary provision to ensure that the land continues to be used for its intended purpose, the land remains protected, and the public remains welcome.
The difference is that management moves closer to the people who depend on this resource every day.
This legislation is also good government. At a time when Federal land management agencies face substantial deferred maintenance backlogs, this bill relieves the Federal Government of future operational and maintenance obligations, while placing the resource in the hands of a willing and capable local partner.
In the West, we often say that water is life. This bill recognizes that reality. It respects local stewardship. It respects taxpayers, and it recognizes that communities willing to assume responsibility should be empowered to do so.
This is a story about local responsibility. The community is stepping forward to preserve an important resource, maintain public access, and ensure that future generations can continue to benefit from it.
Congress should support that effort. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 5911.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, at its core, this bill is about restoring a public recreation site that is vital to a nearby community. We have an opportunity to turn a stalled Federal asset into a functioning local resource, to replace uncertainty with action, and to show that when communities are ready to step up, Congress is willing to meet them there. That is a result that is worth supporting.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5911, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6162) to transfer certain Federal land into trust for certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 6162, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may assume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 6162, the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025. This legislation conveys approximately 9.89 acres of Federal land in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Department of the Interior to be held in trust for the 19 pueblos of New Mexico. The land is currently owned by the General Services Administration.
The transfer includes three tracts formerly used by the Albuquerque Indian School, which operated for a century, from 1881 to 1981. Those tracts remain historically and culturally significant to the 19 pueblos.
H.R. 6162 requires the 19 pueblos to use the transferred land for educational and cultural purposes, as well as economic development. The legislation has received wide support from the All Pueblo Council of Governors, the Albuquerque City Council, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, and various local officials. It also includes a prohibition on gaming, subject to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is always a good day when New Mexico is in the House, and we are in the House today with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which is why I am so honored to be able to speak about my legislation supported by the entire New Mexico delegation, H.R. 6162, which is the Albuquerque Indian School Act.
Back home in New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a place for community, culture, language, celebration, education, and economic development for our 19 pueblos right in the heart of my hometown in Albuquerque.
What is now the nationally recognized Indian Pueblo Cultural Center was once the Albuquerque Indian School, which was established as an Indian boarding school in the 1880s. Although the school operated through 1981, Congress began efforts to return the property to New Mexico's 19 pueblos in 1969, and the center was reopened as a cultural center in 1976. Since then, Congress has passed a number of bills to place this land into trust for the benefit of the pueblos.
H.R. 6162 continues this important work, and this bill will transfer 9.89 acres of land that was historically a part of the former Albuquerque Indian School from the GSA to the Department of the Interior so that it can be taken into trust for the benefit of our 19 pueblos who helped to govern the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
The IPCC campus serves as a vibrant gathering place, where Pueblo culture is celebrated through community events, educational experiences, the arts, and economic opportunities for Pueblo and local economic development.
This property is managed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors and New Mexico's 19 sovereign Pueblos. This council traces its origins back to before 1598 and is one of the oldest, continuous intertribal governing organizations in North America today. It serves as a collective voice for the Pueblo nations. Through leadership, advocacy, and cultural stewardship, the council works to protect Tribal sovereignty and advance the shared priorities of our Pueblo communities.
Under the leadership and dedication of the Pueblos, a site that was once marked by trauma and cultural loss has been transformed into a place of renewal, resilience, and investment in Tribal communities. Since its opening in 1976, the IPCC has served as a living hub for Pueblo languages, art, culture, dance, storytelling, and empowerment of our Pueblo communities, right in the heart of our city, as thousands of visitors from all over the world come every year to visit.
We invite everyone across the country and the world to come visit and to join us in celebrating Pueblo culture. The center serves as a home not only to the thriving communities of our New Mexico Pueblo communities but also as a place for education. It is home to regional BIE and BIA offices; tribally run businesses; a Native-run charter school; and a meeting space, of course, for the All Pueblo Council of Governors.
Mr. Speaker, passing H.R. 6162 will allow the IPCC to continue to expand its work to promote cultural preservation, economic opportunity, community development, and economic development, while honoring the history, traditions, and enduring strength of the 19 Pueblos. It also represents another step in restoring Tribal stewardship over ancestral lands and ensuring that this historic site continues to serve future generations in New Mexico.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6162 furthers the 19 Pueblos' efforts to consolidate parcels of land related to the former Albuquerque Indian School, which holds significant cultural and historical value. I commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury), for her work on behalf of her constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6162, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7618) to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost-sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7618, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7618, the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act of 2026, introduced by Representative Kiggans.
America's battlefields are more than just parks. They are hallowed grounds that tell a story of our Nation's struggles, triumphs, and defining moments. They are the places where ordinary people made extraordinary sacrifices in defense of liberty, self-government, and the ideals that continue to define us today.
As the settings of battles spanning from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, these historic sites serve as living classrooms that continue to teach generations of Americans about the conflicts that forged our great Nation, but many of these places are being lost.
Today, the majority of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields no longer retain significant land from the period of battle, and more than 20 percent of Civil War battlefields have been lost altogether. That is why 30 years ago, Congress created the American Battlefield Protection Program to help protect and restore historic battlefields through public-private partnerships, and the numbers speak for themselves. Since its inception, this program has helped to protect more than 100 battlefields in 42 States and conserve battlefield lands at 110 battlefield sites in 19 States.
Representative Kiggans' bipartisan legislation keeps that momentum going, fittingly, during our Nation's semiquincentennial year. Her legislation reauthorizes and strengthens this successful program through 2036 and streamlines the program by consolidating separate authorizations for the restoration and interpretation modernization grant programs into a single, unified authorization.
This legislation also directs the National Park Service to study sites associated with the French and Indian War and the Mexican- American War, two important conflicts that helped to shaped our Nation's history but which are not currently included in the program.
This is a targeted bill. It doesn't create a new program or expand Federal control. Rather, it builds onto something that already works and makes it better.
It also comes at the right time. In this year of America's 250th anniversary, there is growing interest in making sure that we take stock of our Nation's history, not just through books but on the ground, where people can see and experience it.
From Gettysburg and Vicksburg to Manassas and beyond, H.R. 7618 ensures that we are able to appreciate the places where American history was made and that future generations will be able to experience these hallowed grounds firsthand for America's next 250 years.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7618, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, for over three decades, the American Battlefield Protection Program has been instrumental in saving sites from the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, and the Civil War. H.R. 7618 would build on that legacy by reauthorizing the program for another 7 years, beyond the current expiration through fiscal year 2036, at the existing authorization level of $20 million per annum.
This bill would also streamline the program by combining funding for interpretation grants and restoration grants into a single $2 million authorization. This is a smart technical improvement to how we provide support for State, local, and nonprofit partners who work to protect these lands.
Since history does not start and stop with just these three conflicts, the legislation rightly directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare resource studies for sites from the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, two pivotal eras currently ineligible for these specific grants, laying the groundwork to protect even more of our shared heritage.
Preserving our history is a bipartisan obligation, so I thank Representative Seth Magaziner for his leadership on the Democratic side in bringing this bill forward, along with our colleagues across the aisle. As we celebrate America250 this year, preserving the physical landscapes of our past has never been more vital.
Our battlegrounds are living classrooms. Protecting these sacred grounds ensures historical accuracy, allowing future generations to walk where our forebearers fought, sacrificed, and demonstrated the true cost of our freedoms.
Bills like this one show the importance of bipartisan unity. It is so important that we not allow partisanship
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7618, honoring our past and ensuring that our history remains intact for the next 250 years, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 7618, the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act of 2026.
I thank Chairman Westerman, Chairman Tiffany, and my bipartisan colleague, Congressman Seth Magaziner, for their support of this important legislation.
America's battlefields are more than historic sites. They are outdoor classrooms, living memorials, and sacred grounds where generations of Americans fought and sacrificed for our great Nation. Yet, many of these irreplaceable landmarks remain threatened by development and the passage of time.
H.R. 7618 reauthorizes the American Battlefield Protection Program through fiscal year 2036, streamlines and improves the flexibility of existing battlefield interpretation and restoration grants, and directs the National Park Service to evaluate significant sites associated with the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War to help inform future preservation efforts. These changes will help ensure future generations can learn from and experience the places where our Nation's history was made.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, preserving these hallowed grounds is one of the most meaningful ways we can honor the Americans who came before us and pass their stories on to those who will follow.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, Representative Kiggans' bill is a practical step to keep a proven program working and to prevent further loss of historic battlefields across America.
We are not creating something new. We are building on a program with a track record of success so that it can continue to deliver results. If we do not act, more of these hallowed grounds will be lost to time. This bill ensures that those landscapes are conserved and able to tell the full story of our Nation for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7618, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7831) to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 7831, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act, sponsored by Representative Kennedy of Utah.
Since its creation under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Permit Processing Improvement Fund, or PPIF, has been a critical tool for the Bureau of Land Management. Congress created this program to provide BLM with the resources necessary to process Applications for Permits to Drill, or APDs, in a timely manner. To support that effort, Congress authorized an APD application fee to help fund the PPIF and reduce permitting delays.
Over the years, BLM has relied on the PPIF to ensure APDs are processed consistently and efficiently. While past administrations have not always maintained a satisfactory APD approval record, the PPIF has served as a reliable backstop, helping maintain continuity and staffing at BLM field offices.
Under President Trump, Secretary Burgum's Department of the Interior has approved 63.7 percent more Federal and Indian drilling permits than the previous administration had approved during an equivalent period of time in office. In fact, President Trump's BLM has approved 6,027 new oil and gas permits and more APDs than any other year over the past 15 years.
Just last month, the Department of the Interior generated over $4 billion in total receipts from a BLM oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico and Texas under the Working Families Tax Cut Act. That is four times the previous record. This commendable performance demonstrates strong demand for domestic energy production on Federal lands, the Trump administration's success in unleashing American energy, and House Republicans' commitment to responsible management of our natural resources and lowering American energy prices.
H.R. 7831 reauthorizes the APD fee program. The fees, which are paid when submitting an application to drill, are deposited into the PPIF and used by the BLM to support application review and permitting activities. Since the implementation of these fees, operators and industry stakeholders have observed more reliable and timely permit approvals, prompting their strong support for the fees as good policy.
H.R. 7831 takes an important step toward maintaining a predictable, efficient, and durable permitting framework for oil and natural gas development on Federal lands. Reauthorizing fees for oil and gas drilling permits will help ensure that BLM has the resources necessary to process the permits needed to unleash American energy.
I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 7831, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act.
This bill would reauthorize a commonsense permitting program, allowing the Bureau of Land Management to continue collecting fees with applications for permits to drill oil and gas wells.
These fees go into the Permit Processing Improvement Fund, which funds the expert staff responsible for processing drilling permits, conducting inspections, and ensuring compliance with environmental laws.
Studies have consistently found that understaffing at agencies is one of the most common causes of permitting delays. Funding expert agency staff, as the Permit Processing Improvement Fund does, is the simplest solution to speeding up permitting without cutting corners on safety.
Without this bill, BLM's authority to collect these fees will expire at the end of this year. Allowing this authority to expire would have serious consequences for staffing and permitting efficiency, especially given the devastating cuts to the Federal workforce that have been undertaken by this administration.
I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Westerman and his outstanding staff for their help in getting this bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, the License to Drill Act. This bill ensures the Federal Government has the operational resources to process energy permits efficiently without unnecessary delay.
Every American takes part in an electrified economy, whether they choose to or not, and right now that economy is facing a critical point. We are heading toward a severe energy deficit.
We possess the most dynamic economy in the world, but every single engine of that economy runs on power. We need more of it every year to build, manufacture, and to put people to work, yet much of our existing generating capacity is at the end of its useful life. As those plants go offline, our energy deficit worsens.
We cannot close an energy gap this massive with wishful thinking. We must take practical steps to meet demand because meeting demand is how we keep energy affordable for working families.
The answer isn't to bet everything on a single source. The answer is an all-of-the-above energy strategy. We have already proven that this works. Just last year, the United States produced more energy than at any point in its history, hitting record highs in oil, natural gas, and renewables simultaneously, but when one source is choked off, everyday Americans pay the price.
Producing that energy requires the capacity to efficiently permit it. Right now, a single permit can sit for months, not because the technology or industry isn't ready, but because the Federal Government often lacks the ability to keep up.
Let's be clear: Cutting red tape is not about cutting corners on safety. It is about speeding up our bureaucracy. We can maintain rigorous oversight without ensuring years of needless delay. Every day a permit sits idly on a bureaucrat's desk is a day that costs American jobs, drives up utility bills, and hands global leverage to our adversaries.
My License to Drill Act will extend a proven, bipartisan program that has successfully cleared permit backlogs since 2004. By utilizing an industry-funded fee model, energy companies foot the bill for the administrative costs of these reviews. This means faster approvals, smaller backlogs, and more American energy, all without costing the taxpayers a single dollar.
The License to Drill Act is a commonsense step in the right direction. Let's keep American energy moving forward. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), who is also the chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act; H.R. 1687, the CLEAN Act; and H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, three good, bipartisan bills that were put forth by my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee.
Now more than ever, the United States needs to be bringing more energy online to drive our 21st century economy.
These bills will help guarantee we have durable, proenergy policy no matter who is in the White House. These pieces of legislation will provide much-needed certainty for domestic energy producers, ensuring leaseholders will be able to responsibly produce on Federal lands, including onshore oil and gas and geothermal energy development.
Representative Kennedy's bill will reauthorize the BLM's authority to collect permit processing fees for oil and gas drilling permits and direct these fees toward processing the permits. This will help ensure that producers will actually have the ability to produce oil and gas on Federal lands, rather than sit in limbo for months or even years on end waiting for paperwork to be processed.
Representative Fulcher's bill will require BLM to hold annual lease sales for geothermal development on Federal lands. It also imposes deadlines for the BLM to process geothermal drilling permits, which again, will ensure these energy producers will actually be able to produce on the Federal leases they are issued.
Representative Hurd's bipartisan package of geothermal bills will build on this by enacting a series of reforms that will streamline the permitting of and collection of Federal royalties for geothermal projects on Federal lands.
Ultimately, all three of these bills will bring more energy online faster, increase our strategic national security by lessening our dependence on foreign adversarial nations, and most importantly, lower costs for the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for their work on these bills, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this package of good, bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I, again, urge my colleagues to support the License to Drill Act.
America has some of the richest energy resources in the world, and House Republicans are working alongside the Trump administration to put those resources to work.
I, again, thank Representative Kennedy for his diligent work on this issue, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7831.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1687) to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material to H.R. 1687, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 1687, the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act, or the CLEAN Act.
Introduced by Representative Fulcher, this bill is essential to bolstering geothermal energy production. Across the United States, the Bureau of Land Management is responsible for geothermal permitting on roughly 245 million acres of public land. The previous administration, however, was unwilling to hold lease sales at the rate necessary to support the industry and lower energy costs for Americans.
Thankfully, President Trump and Secretary Burgum understand the need for abundant, low-cost, reliable energy sources and have made expanding domestic energy production a priority. Under their leadership, BLM has begun promoting annual geothermal lease sales.
Representative Fulcher's CLEAN Act codifies these annual lease sales into law and furthers prudent efforts to secure American energy dominance for generations to come.
In October 2025, the BLM held a geothermal lease sale in Nevada that brought in a record-setting $9.4 million in bids. Similarly, the BLM's geothermal lease sale in California last August netted over $2.7 million across just 13 parcels of land. These revenues help fund other important functions of the Bureau, including mapping, permitting, scientific research, and conservation.
In addition to requiring annual lease sales, the bill sets clear expectations and deadlines for geothermal permitting. By implementing transparent, predictable, and timely reviews, the CLEAN Act incentivizes further investment and helps meet the Nation's rapidly rising energy demands.
During committee markup, the bipartisan CLEAN Act was unanimously approved with an amendment reflecting meaningful collaboration among Democrats, Republicans, the Department of the Interior, and industry.
The bill's commonsense approach to incentivizing domestic geothermal energy investment and helping everyday Americans lower their monthly electric bills is a crucial step that Congress should not hesitate to take.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1687, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may concern.
The CLEAN Act is designed to speed up geothermal leasing and permitting, which we support. It would add a 30-day deadline for the Secretary to issue geothermal permits to drill if all environmental reviews have been completed.
The CLEAN Act would also require the Department of the Interior to hold lease sales once a year instead of every 2 years. The current leasing schedule means that geothermal developers can wait for years just for the chance to lease public lands, creating delays in getting clean, reliable energy to American communities.
This faster leasing schedule only applies to States where developers have expressed interest in geothermal leasing, so it won't make extra work for field offices that have no reason to do this work.
I thank the bill's sponsor and my colleagues across the aisle for working with the Natural Resources Committee Democrats to retain important agency discretion in which public lands are leased.
The bill, as originally drafted before these revisions, required that the Department of the Interior offer a lease to every piece of public land that the industry expressed an interest in. That old language mirrored language that passed in the big, ugly bill for oil and gas, requiring the Secretary to offer to lease all the public lands that any industry would want.
It doesn't matter if that meant allowing drilling next to a drinking water source like Colorado's Aurora Reservoir or the destruction of beloved trails like a popular trail in North Dakota's Badlands.
Since the passage of the big, ugly bill, BLM has put up public lands for leasing in both of these areas, creating local backlash. Geothermal drilling is certainly less dangerous than oil and gas, but there are still risks and places that are inappropriate to lease for environmental, cultural, and other reasons.
Natural Resources Committee Democrats have worked across the aisle in good faith to make a compromise, which will allow BLM to lease most of the industry-nominated public lands but allows the Secretary to choose not to lease lands for legal or environmental reasons.
We can speed up the build-out of clean, reliable geothermal energy without sacrificing special places and community support.
While I recognize that this bill still contains controversial provisions, including the requirement that 75 percent of nominated parcels for geothermal development be leased, we are encouraged by the reduction of that threshold.
Committee Democrats are urging the Senate to carefully consider the legislation and prioritize a balanced approach to managing our public lands, one that prioritizes responsible management of public lands for our communities and for the environment.
Mr. Speaker, Committee Democrats urge our colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, most of America's geothermal resources lie beneath Federal lands, and interest in leasing those areas continues to grow. It is imperative that we increase the frequency of geothermal lease sales from every 2 years to annually and further streamline the permitting process. Doing so will help keep energy costs low and keep America's lights on.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Fulcher for his work on this important legislation which I urge my colleagues to support, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1687, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5631) to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 5631, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, sponsored by Representative Hurd.
The United States has an abundance of natural resources, and many of these resources are found on Federal land throughout the country. There is one resource in particular that is uniquely positioned to help meet our growing energy demand in the Western United States, and that is geothermal energy.
The first geothermal project on Bureau of Land Management lands was approved in 1978. Since then, technological advancements and increased data collection have given geothermal projects significant momentum, and BLM lands have attracted strong interest from geothermal producers.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Great Basin Region alone holds about 135 gigawatts of next-generation geothermal potential. That is enough to power roughly 100 to 135 million homes.
Today, there are 51 operating power plants producing geothermal energy on BLM-managed public lands, with a combined installed capacity of more than 2.6 gigawatts.
Unfortunately, cumbersome leasing and permitting practices on Federal lands have prolonged project timelines and increased costs for geothermal developers. This is why I am pleased to support the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.
This past December, during a legislative hearing, we heard from multiple witnesses who stressed the importance of commonsense measures that further exploration, provide timely lease sales, and enhance geothermal expertise within Federal agencies. This legislation includes provisions from six bipartisan bills that accomplish just that.
The Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act, introduced by Representative Hurd, will provide BLM with the needed staffing flexibility by appointing a geothermal ombudsman from within that agency who will coordinate among offices and assign expert personnel from across the Department of the Interior to assist with approvals as part of a newly formed Geothermal Permitting Task Force.
The Geothermal Gold Book Development Act, introduced by Representative Ansari, directs DOI to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines in a Gold Book for efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting for use by BLM field offices and geothermal operators.
The Geothermal Royalty Reform Act, introduced by Representative Kennedy, provides a much-needed fix to the royalty system for geothermal energy, ensuring fair cost distribution for new geothermal facilities on Federal land.
The Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act, or the STEAM Act, introduced by Representative Lee, extends categorical exclusions available to oil and gas activities to geothermal development.
The Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act, introduced by Representative Ocasio-Cortez, would authorize the BLM to establish fees for geothermal operators to offset permitting costs.
Lastly, the Geothermal Energy Opportunity Act, or the GEO Act, introduced by Representative Maloy, requires the BLM to follow through on its job of processing geothermal permits and authorizations unless a Federal court directs it to do otherwise.
Together, these reforms will help to release the heat below our feet and bolster American energy dominance.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 5631, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. This bipartisan package will deliver safe, clean, and reliable energy for the American people, helping to lower energy prices and meet growing electricity demand.
The bills in this package will let us make use of recent breakthroughs in geothermal technology that unlock gigawatts of clean domestic energy, helping get American families off of the fossil fuel roller coaster.
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together to speed up the build-out of next-generation geothermal without sacrificing environmental or community protections.
These bills will help fund the experts needed to efficiently process permits, establish a specialized problem-solving ombudsman to coordinate and resolve permitting disputes, and to standardize best practices across field offices.
They will extend a streamlined permitting pathway available to oil and gas wells on already developed lands to geothermal development, give the Department of the Interior a deadline to issue authorizations after reviews are complete, and modify how royalties are collected to incentivize new developments on one lease.
All of these are commonsense reforms that safely speed up the build- out of clean, reliable energy, and I am proud to stand in support of this timely, bipartisan package.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing more from our bill's cosponsors, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.
I begin by thanking my Republican colleagues Representatives Lee, Maloy, and Kennedy and my Democratic colleagues Representatives Ansari and Ocasio-Cortez for their partnership on this bipartisan legislation. At a time when Americans are often told Congress cannot work together across the aisle, this bill is proof that we still can.
Geothermal energy represents one of the most promising opportunities in America's energy future.
When we talk about geothermal energy in this bill, we are not talking about heating and cooling systems for individual buildings. We are talking about large-scale electricity generation from the heat miles beneath the Earth's surface, energy available around the clock and dispatched when the grid needs it.
It is American energy. It is always available. It strengthens grid reliability. It supplies reliable power for military installations, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. It can help meet growing energy demand without relying on foreign supply chains.
The good news is that the challenge facing geothermal energy today is not a lack of resources. It is not a lack of innovation. It is not technology. It is not lack of entrepreneurial spirit.
The challenge is process. It is red tape.
Geothermal projects can be complex and capital intensive. Now, this legislation does not solve every challenge facing the industry, but it addresses one of the challenges that Congress can solve: unnecessary delay, fragmented permitting, and regulatory uncertainty.
When projects spend years navigating regulatory uncertainty, these costs ultimately get built into the project. Greater certainty helps attract investment, accelerate deployment, and bring promising projects online more quickly.
Across the West, we have extraordinary geothermal potential, but permitting remains fragmented, timelines are uncertain, and expertise is often spread unevenly across the Federal Government.
As a result, projects face delays that serve no one's interests.
This legislation takes a practical approach to solving those problems. It improves coordination. It increases certainty. It streamlines permitting. It helps ensure that expertise is available where it is needed. It also provides the tools necessary to move worthy projects through the process more efficiently while maintaining responsible environmental stewardship. In short, this bill helps the system work the way Congress intended it to work.
America has tremendous geothermal potential, but we have a deployment problem. The good news, though, is we can solve it. If we are serious about American energy security, American competitiveness, and American innovation, we should remove unnecessary barriers that prevent us from developing the resources that we already possess.
The future will require more electricity, more reliability, more domestic energy production. Geothermal can help meet that challenge. This legislation helps unlock that potential.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman for his invaluable help on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5631.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and my colleague from Colorado for their leadership in this package.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a rare issue that is uniting Americans from the right, the left, and the center: geothermal energy. Particularly during a time when it too often can feel like Congress can't agree on anything, today's package is a standout in the best way.
As the United States continues to face increasing energy demand here at home and rising energy costs from abroad, fully harnessing our domestic
My home State of Nevada has been a pioneer of both conventional and next-generation geothermal energy, including as the site of the country's first enhanced geothermal plant.
With exciting and ongoing developments in the geothermal technology, the Department of Energy has estimated that America will be able to affordably capture enough of our abundant geothermal resources nationwide to power more than 65 million homes over the next 25 years.
Let me be clear: This is baseload, 24/7 clean energy, and that is why I am proud to co-lead the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act with Congressman Hurd.
Our bipartisan package is the most significant geothermal legislation in more than a half a century since the foundational Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. I am thrilled that the package includes my STEAM Act, which I am proud to co-lead with Representative Celeste Maloy and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. The STEAM Act will ensure that the geothermal industry has the same flexibility to explore and develop on previously disturbed or studied public lands that the oil and gas industry has had for upwards of two decades. At long last, we will be leveling the playing field for this promising and proven 24/7 clean energy source.
Mr. Speaker, there is a reason that the STEAM Act and all six bills in the package unanimously passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee: It is because Members from all corners of the ideological spectrum know that geothermal can make a real difference.
The U.S. contains more than five terawatts of geothermal resources, enough to meet the electricity needs of the entire world. With energy costs going up, I have long said that we need to embrace an all-of-the- above approach to bring down these costs for hardworking Americans. This geothermal package and the homegrown energy that it supports will do just that.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our bipartisan, commonsense, and cost-saving legislation.
Mr. Speaker, today, we have an opportunity to unlock one of America's greatest untapped energy resources and invest in our Nation's future.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.
First, I thank Representative Hurd, Chairman Westerman, and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee, and the staff, theirs and mine, who put the work in to build this historic geothermal package. I am proud that my own bill, the Geothermal Royalty Reform Act, is being passed as part of it, giving developers the regulatory certainty they need to build.
Geothermal is one of the most promising, untapped renewable energy resources on the planet, and no State is better positioned to lead the world into this frontier than the State of Utah, with more than 10 gigawatts of reliable power beneath it.
The Department of Energy projects that next-generation geothermal could provide 90 gigawatts of power nationwide by 2050, a 20 times increase, enough to power millions of homes while meeting our rising demand.
It is firm, baseload power, the kind that can keep the grid stable and energy affordable for working families. Energy costs are climbing, and families feel it every month. Geothermal can be part of the answer.
What is standing in the way? For too long, it was our own regulatory environment. Geothermal developers have been forced through a maze of outdated permitting and duplicative reviews. This bill will clear those obstacles instead of creating them.
Mr. Speaker, the resource is real, the technology is proven, and American industry is ready to build. The only thing holding us back now is Washington itself. This bill changes that and puts the clean power beneath our feet to work. Let's unlock American energy and deliver the reliable power this country runs on.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record six letters of support for the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. These letters are from ClearPath Action, Corporate Energy Buyers Association, Enhanced Geothermal Systems Deployment Coalition, Geothermal Rising Action, Ormat Technologies, and Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. At a time when competition with China on AI and data centers is at an all-time high, we cannot afford to fall behind in power generation. Geothermal energy can provide reliable, baseload power throughout the West, as well as other parts of the country, and enhance American energy independence.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of the bill included in this bipartisan package for their work to bring this legislation to the floor, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5631, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to promote responsible geothermal energy development on public lands, and for other purposes.''.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 254) to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to protect the cultural practices and livelihoods of producers of Alaska Native handicrafts and marine mammal ivory products, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material to S. 254, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 254, Alaska's Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act, or the ARTIST Act.
Subsistence harvest of marine mammals is a key aspect of Alaska Native culture. Subsistence hunters harvest marine mammals for both food and to create Native handicrafts, clothing, and artwork.
Many of the millions of Americans that visit Alaska each year purchase these products. However, as States have enacted bans on ivory to prevent the trafficking of elephant tusks, these bans have been incorrectly applied to walrus ivory, a central component of the Alaska Natives' creations. The ARTIST Act fixes this longstanding issue by allowing Alaska Natives' handicraft and artworks to be sold in interstate commerce.
Ultimately, this bill recognizes the immeasurable ways in which Alaska Natives have contributed to the story of Alaska.
I thank Congressman Begich for his leadership on this important issue in the House and Senator Sullivan for his leadership in the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 254 would amend section 101(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which allows Alaska Native communities to take marine mammals for subsistence purposes.
This proposed amendment would allow Alaska Native communities to take marine mammals for the creation and sale of arts and crafts.
The MMPA already permits the use of marine mammal ivory in Alaska Native art when the animal was taken for subsistence. However, Alaska Native artists have faced barriers to markets due to State-level bans on the sale of ivory. They routinely used whale baleen, bones, and ivory walrus tusks in their artwork, which have been caught up in good faith efforts to curb the trade of elephant and rhinoceros ivory.
This bill would clarify that authentic Alaska Native art made with marine mammal products may be sold nationwide. This will provide greater flexibility and certainty to Alaska Native artists.
Importantly, this bill would maintain the Secretary's authority under
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 254, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 254, the Alaska's Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act, the ARTIST Act.
For generations, Alaska Native artisans along our north Pacific and Arctic coasts have carved walrus ivory into works of extraordinary beauty, a tradition handed down through families, woven into the culture life of entire communities, and for many, a vital source of income.
In recent years, well-meaning efforts to crack down on the illegal elephant ivory trade have swept up something they were never meant to touch: the legal, sustainable, lawfully harvested ivory at the heart of Alaska Native art. Buyers grew confused. Some States moved to ban these handicrafts outright. Alaska Native carvers, who have done nothing wrong, watched their livelihoods and their heritage put at risk.
The ARTIST Act fixes that. It makes it clear that authentic Alaska Native handicrafts may be bought and sold across this country. It stops States from outlawing a responsible tradition that predates them by centuries.
This is about cultural durability and the right of Alaska Native families to practice their traditions and provide for their communities.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Senator Dan S. Sullivan for his leadership in carrying this bill through the Senate. With House action, the ARTIST Act will be one step away from restoring the rights of Alaska Native craftsmen.
Mr. Speaker, last year, a bipartisan group of members of our committee traveled to Alaska. As part of that visit, we held a roundtable with Alaska Native organizations during which we heard about the importance of subsistence hunting for Alaska Native communities, cultures, and economies.
Enacting this bill will remove a longstanding barrier for the sale of Alaska Native handicrafts and artwork, and I am pleased that Congress is championing policies that are important to the Alaska Native way of life.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of S. 254, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 254.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7250) to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7250, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7250, a bill to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System, sponsored by Representative Troy Downing of Montana. The system consists of two interconnected water systems in northeastern Montana, which serve Tribal and non-Tribal communities.
Major features of the system have already been completed, and a substantial portion is operational. Some work remains to complete the project. This legislation would extend the Bureau of Reclamation's authority to carry out work on the project through fiscal year 2028, which will provide enough time to complete the project using existing funds.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Downing for his leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7250. This legislation would extend the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System completion date to December 2028. In 2000, Congress authorized the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System to address water quality and supply concerns in northeastern Montana.
This project consists of the Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water System and the Dry Prairie Rural Water System. Together, they will provide safe, reliable water from the Missouri River to over 32,000 residents across the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and communities in northeastern Montana.
Over the years, Congress has provided extensions to account for delays in project construction due to insufficient appropriations and rising construction costs. H.R. 7250 would provide another simple 2- year extension to ensure that construction of the final components of the Assiniboine and Sioux and the Dry Prairie Rural Water Systems can be completed.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7250, my legislation to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act. Passage of this bill will ensure the completion of a vital piece of water infrastructure for my constituents living in one of the most rural areas of the country.
Northeast Montana faces a variety of significant water access challenges, including regular droughts and contaminated groundwater. Towns, farms, ranches, and Tribes in the region need reliable water treatment facilities and infrastructure in order to overcome these issues.
To address these challenges, the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000 authorized a major water infrastructure partnership between the Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water Supply System of the Fort Peck Reservation and the Dry Prairie Rural Water System in northeast Montana. It also provided funding and technical support for the project through the Bureau of Reclamation.
In the ensuing two and a half decades, the two water systems have successfully worked together with Federal partners to build an extensive network
The project is nearly finished, with only 2 out of Dry Prairie's 23 pipeline phases in need of completion. However, its current Federal authorization is set to expire at the end of the year.
My legislation, H.R. 7250, extends the water system's authorization by 2 years to provide the necessary time for the completion of these final phases of the project. Without an authorization to build, the project's completion would be jeopardized.
Notably, this legislation does not appropriate any additional Federal funds. It solely reauthorizes work already on the verge of completion.
H.R. 7250 will continue a critical infrastructure project that directly benefits rural and Tribal communities in northeast Montana. Moreover, passage of this bill will allow this congressionally directed project to carry through to completion, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent as they were initially intended.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important initiative for Montana.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will provide for the completion of a water system that is necessary for the long-term sustainability of rural communities in Montana.
I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7250.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3922) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3922, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3922, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, a bipartisan bill led by Representatives Neguse and Kim. This important, straightforward legislation directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study analyzing barriers to cross-boundary forest management between the Federal Government and non-Federal partners.
Catastrophic wildfires do not respect manmade boundaries. They burn across a patchwork of Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private lands, wreaking havoc all along the way. Confronting our Nation's forest health and wildfire crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach with stronger coordination and collaboration across all jurisdictions.
Tools like Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship have successfully allowed non-Federal partners to work with Federal agencies to carry out cross-boundary treatments to restore forest health and mitigate wildfire threats.
Recently, the Trump administration signed a new Shared Stewardship agreement with Montana to treat up to 200,000 acres of fire-prone, overgrown forest.
Just last week, another Shared Stewardship agreement was signed between the Forest Service and South Dakota, which will allow more fuels reduction treatments on South Dakota's nearly 2 million acres of forest land.
This type of proactive collaboration is exactly what is needed, especially as we approach the height of what some are anticipating will be one of the worst wildfire years on record. However, more can be done to remove barriers that limit cross-boundary efforts, improve coordination, and reduce fragmentation and duplication across programs.
H.R. 3922 will help address these challenges by directing the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of wildfire mitigation efforts across Federal and non-Federal lands.
This legislation requires an examination of Federal programs, rules, and authorities to determine which policies are supporting cross- boundary efforts and which are inhibiting them. The
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3922, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, sponsored by Mr. Joe Neguse, would direct the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to study the existing Federal programs, rules, and authorities that either enable or inhibit cross-boundary wildfire mitigation.
As we all know, wildfires do not respect property lines or jurisdictional boundaries. Yet, our mitigation efforts are too often hindered by the complex borders between Federal, State, local, and Tribal lands. This bill takes direct aim at this problem by answering recommendation 24 from the bipartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report.
We need to know what is working and what is standing in the way. By identifying these gaps, we can improve collaboration, ensure all levels of government have better access to mitigation and funding, and build far more effective wildfire strategies.
Ultimately, this legislation will enhance our capacity to manage these crises, reduce the frequency and severity of devastating wildfires, and protect our most vulnerable communities.
I wish to take a moment to congratulate the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), my colleague, for his exceptional leadership, not just on this bill, but on wildfires in general, and for his work in advancing critical legislation to protect our public lands.
Through his dedicated work leading the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and serving as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, Representative Neguse has been a relentless champion for our communities. This is exactly the kind of bipartisan leadership and legislation needed to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep our communities safe.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, first, I thank my colleague from New Mexico for her steadfast leadership, for the work that she has done as a champion for the Southwest, the great State of New Mexico, and, of course, her leadership on all matters connected to science. I am grateful to her for her steadfast leadership and commitment.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the chairman of the full Committee on Natural Resources, for giving me the opportunity to present this important legislation. I certainly echo his remarks, the remarks from Representative Stansbury, and, of course, the remarks of Ranking Member Huffman, as well.
It has been said, but I think it bears repeating: Wildfires do not care if lands are Federal, State, or local. They don't respect manmade boundaries or political jurisdictions.
To give you a sense of what that means on the ground level, I am privileged to represent the great State of Colorado here in the U.S. Congress. I represent a Congressional District that spans 12,000 square miles. It is larger than eight States, most of which are on the Eastern Seaboard.
Over half of my Congressional District is Federal public lands. I represent three national forests, some of the most beautiful parts of our country. When you represent a district as large and as rural as mine, you see up close the damage and the devastation that comes from wildfires.
Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, but in the last several years, we have had some of the most devastating in the history of our State. The Cameron Peak wildfire, the East Troublesome wildfire, these are wildfires that raged across hundreds of thousands of acres of land, Federal land, State land, and local land.
What we have learned during the course of those fires and in the wake of that devastation is the critical need for partnership and for wildfire mitigation that ultimately stretches across these political boundaries.
It is the reason why, in the wake of the Cameron Peak fire in particular, we created the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, bringing together folks from across the political spectrum here in Washington, D.C., to try to arrive at solutions like this bill, which I think could make a real difference in saving lives in the Rocky Mountain West, in my Congressional District, across the great State of Colorado, and indeed across the country.
The Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act is simple. It is straightforward. It will help us identify and resolve the challenges that may exist with respect to gaps in wildfire mitigation across land ownership types. It is a simple, straightforward, bipartisan solution, and I am just delighted that we are able to come together on this important bill that I have introduced.
Again, I thank you for your consideration. I hope we can all join in passing this and getting it across the finish line.
Mr. Speaker, to address the enormity of the wildfire crisis, it is critical that we find ways to improve forest management across manmade jurisdictional boundaries. H.R. 3922 is a good bipartisan bill that will do just that by identifying existing Federal policies that can be changed to streamline proactive forest management.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3922, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2860) to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to promote the protection of the resources of the Northwest Straits, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2860, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025.
The Northwest Straits Advisory Commission was first authorized by Congress in 1998. Initially, it was created to respond to discussions about a potential marine sanctuary that was proposed in that region of Washington State.
In the years since, this commission has worked with local communities to conserve marine resources.
H.R. 2860 reauthorizes this commission; establishes clear goals for the commission's work; and modifies its membership, including two representatives from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2860 reauthorizes the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act. This legislation promotes the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems in the Northwest Straits region of Washington State.
The Northwest Straits region is a special place. It encompasses the marine waters of the Strait de Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, a region of priceless biodiversity that is home to iconic species such as salmon, tufted puffins, and orcas. It has been stewarded by communities for generations.
However, over the 20th century, the region's environmental health has declined due to habitat loss, reductions in wildlife populations, declining water quality, and the impacts of climate change. We must do everything we can to address these issues.
This bill takes a comprehensive approach to restore and protect the area. It leverages local knowledge and community engagement, while providing Federal resources and technical assistance to support and strengthen these ongoing efforts.
This bill provides funding for projects that strengthen and proactively protect these ecosystems and support critical restoration. It also fosters collaboration by utilizing and reinforcing partnerships with Tribal Governments, local communities, and State and Federal agencies. It supports local communities' efforts to address environmental degradation, respond to the threats posed by climate change, and protect marine ecosystems.
Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 2860, the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act.
The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative started as a bipartisan, homegrown idea. Thanks to the foresight and hard work of Democratic Senator Patty Murray and my predecessor here in the U.S. House of Representatives, former Representative Jack Metcalf, and local stakeholders, Congress created the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Commission in 1998.
The commission works with seven county-based marine resources committees, or MRCs, in northwest Puget Sound. Five of these seven MRCs are in the five counties I represent in northwest Washington State.
Over the past 20 years, the commission's bottom-up approach has ensured that local communities and Tribes have the resources and expertise that they need to keep marine habitats healthy and recover endangered and threatened species, including the southern resident killer whales and salmon.
My bill would reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Commission for 7 years, ensuring the commission can continue its work to restore the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region, including by restoring shoreline in Skagit County, conserving Olympia oysters in Whatcom County, monitoring kelp beds in Island County, removing derelict vessels in San Juan County, and surveying forage fish eggs in Snohomish County.
Mr. Speaker, all of these projects work in tandem, or work together, throughout the Puget Sound in order to increase the whole health of the Puget Sound. Not only do these projects restore the environment, but they are also supporting local jobs.
According to the commission, the Northwest Straits region creates 16,000 jobs in Washington's commercial and recreational fishing industries and $150 million in economic input for the State's aquaculture industry.
The commission partners with ports, local authorities, State agencies, marine-based businesses, and Tribes on everything from trapping invasive European green crab that threaten local shellfish economies, to helping boaters identify and communicating eelgrass locations, which are poor anchorage sites but important for commercial and recreational marine species.
This is locally driven, job-creating work that Congress should continue to support.
I thank Representative Emily Randall for co-leading this bill; Senators Murray and Cantwell for their partnership in the Senate; and Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Suzan DelBene, Adam Smith, Pramila Jayapal, and Kim Schrier, all my colleagues here in the House, for cosponsoring this bill.
I thank the many partner organizations in our State, whose advocacy and hard work got the bill to this point, particularly the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership.
Finally, I thank Ranking Member Huffman, Chair Westerman, and the entire House Natural Resources Committee--the members of the committee and the staff--for working with my office to move this bill forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to keep the momentum going to restore marine habitat, protect Washington State's environment, and create more jobs in northwest Washington State.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission.
I commend my colleague, the gentleman from the State of Washington (Mr. Larsen), not only for his work on this bill but for his leadership to pass the successful highway transportation reauthorization bill recently.
Again, I support the legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2860, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Boston firefighter Robert ``Bobby'' Kilduff, Jr.
Bobby was a marine veteran, a proud third-generation firefighter, and a dedicated father to two beautiful children. For 24 years, he served the Boston Fire Department and kept the people of Boston safe.
Tragically, Bobby died last week while in service to our community battling a large fire at a home in Dorchester.
My husband, Conan, and I extend our deep condolences to his daughter, Hanna Jane; his son, Mason; his partner, Jess; his extended family; and the Boston Firefighters Local 718 as they grieve this loss.
His 24-year-old daughter spoke passionately at his funeral in Boston yesterday. She said: ``My dad represents everything our world can be if we look out for each other, if we reach out to help first and ask questions later.'' ``He used to say that the only thing he loved more than being a firefighter was being our dad.''
Bobby's humanity, empathy, and strength saved the lives of so many of our Boston neighbors. As we mourn this loss, may we carry his example forward in word and deed.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 40 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.
